PENDLETON — Voters in Pendleton voted for two political newcomers — one for town council and another for clerk-treasurer — on Tuesday, even as they re-elected a veteran council member and voted for an appointed incumbent.
In one of the three council races, Democratic challenger Steve Denny defeated Republican incumbent Jessica Bastin by a vote of 797-378 in District 2, which represents the southwest part of town.
“Everyone’s got to come together and make Pendleton the town that it should be. We all have to work together. We all have to be on the same page,” Denny said Tuesday after the results came in. “I think this was a mandate from the community — we want change, and these are the people that can make that happen.”
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Bastin was appointed in spring 2018 to replace Mike Romack, who stepped down after it was discovered his home was just outside the district.
In the District 5 at-large race, Republican incumbent Shane Davis defeated Lisa Floyd, a Democrat, by a vote of 611-566.
“I’m happy. I knew it was going to be a close race,” Davis said.
He said with the election over, the council should be able work together with transparency — putting the divisive issues of the recent past behind it.
“I think it’s going to calm the whole town down,” he said. “I just think now that the council is going to move forward and start putting the town first.”
Issues the town has dealt with the past year include the firing of the Pendleton police chief because of controversial social media posts, and working conditions at the town in light of complaints from several employees.
Davis was appointed to the council during a Republican caucus in the spring, filling a seat vacated by Chad Wolf.
In District 1, 10-year Democratic incumbent Chet Babb defeated challenger Michelle Skeen, a Republican, by a vote of 778-400.
Babb did not return a call seeking comment by press time, but Skeen, a political newcomer to politics, echoed in defeat what Denny and Davis said about the need for the town to move forward united.
“Hopefully we can all work together,” she said, noting she is interested in working on town boards.
District 1 is comprised of an area mostly north and west of Fall Creek, with a portion extending as far west as State Road 13.
Denny will join Davis and Babb, District 3 Councilman Bob Jones, a Republican, representing the southeast part of town, and and District 4 Councilwoman Jessica Smith, a Republican, in the town’s other at-large seat.
Jones’ and Smith’s terms end in 2022.
Pendleton Clerk-Treasurer
In the race for Pendleton clerk-treasurer, incumbent Matt Roberts, Republican, fell by a vote of 621-546 to challenger Willie Boles, a Democrat.
“I think we had a good turnout today. I think some really good people got elected,” he said.
While praising Roberts and the staff in the town’s clerk-treasurer’s office, Boles said he looks forward to seeing if he can be of service as the town’s chief financial officer.
“I’m just going to go in and see if I can help them in any way, to make things better for them (the employees), and the town, too.”
Boles has been a business owner for more than 30 years, and this is the first time he’s ever run for office.
“This is all new for me. There’s going to be a learning curve,” he said.
Roberts, who was appointed in January, said Boles is “a good guy” and “I think he’ll serve the town well.
“I wish it went the other way, but I don’t think it’s a negative thing that Willie was elected,” he said.
He said he doesn’t see himself running for office again in the near future, but, like Skeen, “would be inclined” to serve on one of the town’s boards.